Dual compartment bag



Oct. 2,1934.

E. A. PRUCHA DUAL COMPARTMENT BAG Filed May 31. 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 2, 1934. E. A. PRUCHA DUAL COMPARTMENT BAG Filed May 31, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Oct. 2, 1934. E Ruc I 1,975,404

DUAL COMPARTMEN'I BAG Filed May 31. 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 F/GXS INV ENTOR W tw- Qct. 2,1934. 5 PRUCHA 1,975,404

DUAL COMPARTMENT BAG Filed May 31. 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F/ 1] INVENTOR Patented Oct. 2, 1934 PATENT OFFICE unl'rso STATES This invention pertains to bags and analogous containers and wrappers, and more particularly to means and methods of producing a dual compartment bag by utilizing in a novel manner certain foldings of an ordinary bag which are bound by the row of stitches by which the open end of the bag is finally closed or sealed after the bag is fllled'with its quota of merchandise.

The principal object of the present invention is to to provide in addition to the main compartment or package portion of a bag a second compartment separate therefrom wherein printed matter and/or merchandise may be contained and dis. played independently of the merchandise in the main compartment. This permits, where occasion requires, the separate removal of theprinted matter and/ or merchandise from the second compartment without disturbing the main contents of the bag. For certain purposes the second compartment-is provided with an aperture which serves as a display window through which data, private label or any general information may be disclosed. Moreover, certain merchandise packed in bags requires that there accompany it detailed literature." Visible assurance of the presence of such literature thus is offered by its display in the second compartment of the dual compartment bag.

Another object of the invention is to render unnecessary the uneconomical and wasteful practice now generallyemployed of printing directly on bags considerable of a changeable or unstable nature describing or identifying the contents of the bags and/ or the manufacturer or distributor.

An important object of the present invention is to utilize the bag material, which in certain cases is only partly cut away to form the apertureor window for displaying the printed matter contained in the second compartment, to provide a means for carrying special information; the flap thus provided furnishes a convenient space for placing the price or other memoranda thereon.

This invention has also for its object the provision of means for closing and sealing the open end of the bag at full width thereof and utilizin said means to provide further an extra compartment to carry advertising matter or the like without detracting from the desirable storing and packing qualities afiorded by such closure method. A further object of the present invention is to provide a separate compartment on each side of that median plane of the bag relative to its width by conforming the foldings thereof in such manner as to produce'when sealed or bound by a single row of stitches a plural compartment bag.

-yond the control of the manufacturer or distributor it becomes necessary to discard these To achieve the foregoing and other objects this invention contemplates the fashioning of any of the common forms of bags, particularly the kind provided with plaited or pre-folded sides, in such manner as to produce a novel form of folded end adapted to carry booklets, catalogues, circular let- I ters, specifications or other printed matter and merchandise or premiums; said folded end being in the nature of an auxiliary or second compartment which is highly desirable from the viewpoint of utility, display and convenience.

Some merchandise packed in bags requires that there accompany it a detailed amount of literature such as no bag could reasonably display on its surface. Such literature, therefore in the form of' pamphlets or the like, is usually placed within the bag. Certain merchandise, however, is of a nature as to make it undesirable to place printed matter with it. This undesirable feature is overcome by using the second compartment of .the dual compartment bag to hold the printed matter.

It has been a general practice, heretofore, to print directly on bags considerable data describing or identifying the contents of the bags or the name of the manufacturer or distributor. The contents of a bag, that is, its chemical ratios, is often subject to variation beyond human control, as in the case of natural products. Nevertheless, data of the contents is commonly required by law; hence, if the contents frequently varies, so must the data. The substances used to print the data on the bags in this manner are not readily or easily erasable being usually of an indelible nature. Because of these reasons it is uneconomicalto provide in advance large supplies of bags for various purposes, since in the event that certain of the analyses or other data usually printed on the bag are altered or changed for reasons belots, thus resulting in considerable loss or depreciation in their value, and practically precluding their further use. It is desirable, however, in most instances to identify the merchandise or commodity contained in the bag by specific printed data pertinent or in reference thereto and also to indicate the origin of the merchandise by-appropriate. trade-marks and/or the name of the manufacturers and/or distributors of the merchandise.

The present invention overcomes all of the defects or shortcomings heretofore experienced and accomplishes the foregoing objects without abandoning or minimizing any of the desirable attributes inherent in the present practice of describing and identifying the merchandise or commodities and displaying or exhibiting trademarks and names of manufacturers and dealers in connection with the bags. With the bag according to the present invention large lots of any size may be stocked regardless of commodity it is designed to carry because of the wide range of adaptability provided by the secondary or auxiliary compartment, the determinant being the size of the bag and/or the material of which the bag is made and not the printed data thereon,

it being possible to select a particular type ofbag without danger of its becoming obsolete due to an unexpected change or alteration in the analysis of the commodity it was intended to convey, or of a change in the label or trade-mark printed thereon.

A better understanding of the present invention will be had from the ensuing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are perspective views of a bag, showing, in order, the various stages in the production of the preferred form of a dual compartment bag according to the present invention.

Figs. 5 to 12 inclusive'are perspective views of modified forms of closures for bags according to the invention.

Having reference to the drawings wherein the same number represents the same part throughout the several views, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, there is shown in Fig. 1 a bag 20 initially constructed with one end 21 open in order to permit the bag to receive the merchandise through the open end, which bag is provided with plaited or prefolded sides 22 and 23, as is a common practice, to facilitate the folding, packing and sealing thereof. One of the faces 24 is provided in its upper portion with an aperture 25 of any geometrical conformation, a circular opening being shown in the present instance merely by way of example. This aperture 25, as will clearly become apparent presently, later serves as a window or rather a frame to display printed matter. In this position the bag 20 may be filled with its quota of merchandise; it being understood, of course, that the length of the bag is predetermined to accommodate not only its allotted portion of the commodity but also the size and dimension of the printed matter to accompany that particular package.

In Fig. 2 the bag 20 is shown with the plaited sides 22 and 23 above the filled portion of the bag folded inwardly or interiorly of the bag to bring the front and rear faces 24 and 26, respectively, substantially contiguous to each other. Now, the printed matter in the form of a pamphlet 27, for example, is interposed between the front face 24 and the pair of folds 28 and 29 formed by the plaited sides 22 and 23 of the upper or compressed part of the bag. In this connection it is observed that the printed matter is securely pocketed between face 24 and folds 28 and 29 and cannot slide down into the package portion of the bag 31. The aperture 25 is of such suitable dimensions as to render possible the exhibiting of the cover printing of the pamphlet or other printed matter 27 and also to form a framelike upper structure in the front wall of the bag to retain the pamphlet 27 snugly and securely in place.

01 course, it is to be understood that any other form or style of bag may be used so long as it is susceptible of effecting within the range of equiv alency the ultimate result contemplated by the present invention. For example, it is possible to utilize a bag without the pre-folded sides 22 and 23 as such side construction is not absolutely essential to the successful practice of this invention.

The next step in the formation of the secondary or auxiliary compartment according to the invention is to bend the flattened upper portion of the bag forwardly along the line 32 (Fig. 2) with the aperture 25 facing downwardly, and then to re-bend this portion upwardly along line 33 and fold the re-bent portion back in 'zigzag or fan folded manner so that the upper edge of the bag 34 coincides substantially with the folded edge 35, as indicated in Fig. 3. Thence, slightly .below the common line formed by edges 34 and 35 and substantially parallel to it a seam is sewed, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, binding in one stitching (in the present embodiment) six layers of bag material, as illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein the bag is shown with the layers or plies thereof securely held by the stitches 36. In this connection it must be understood that the word sewing, as used herein, indicates the manner of attaching the sides of the bag to each other, but any other means, such as stapling, is equally effective,

though probably not as desirable or practicable.

The pamphlet 27 with its cover printing visible through the aperture 25 is now snugly and securely retained in the second or auxiliary compartment 37, that face of the bag containing the aperture 25 providing a frame-like structure to safely retain the printed matter therein. Thus, it is manifest that no printing whatever need appear on the bag material, since the cover of the pamphlet 27 may contain all the information necessary to readily identify the package, and, where necessary, an analysis of the contents of the bag. Also, it may be desired to insert in the second compartment an article or premium wrapped in celluloid or similarly transparent material, whereby either the printed matter or article or both may be displayed through the aperture 25.

The flattened upper portion of the bag may also be bent in the reverse direction from that shown in Fig. 3, in which event the aperture 25 will be made on face 26 of the bag, instead of on face 24, and the portion of the bag above line 33 will be folded or bent under instead of over so that the edge 34 will be interposed between layers of bag material and sewed to produce the result clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. The form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 has some advantages over that shown in Fig. 4, in that a smooth rounded edge is formed at 38, and the auxiliary compartment is more thoroughly sealed.

The present invention contemplates also the provision'of a plural compartment bag as illustrated in Fig. 6, which is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view so as to show more clearly the arrangement of the foldings of the bag. In this figure is indicated the main or package portion 31 of the bag 20, and also auxiliary compartments 39 and 41, a separate compartment being formed on each side of the median line 42. In this modification of the invention the flattened upper portion of the bag with the printed matter or the like therein contained is folded or bent forwardly as was donein the form of the bag described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, thence it is re-bent rearwardiy to extend across the median line 42 of the bag, and again re-bent in a forwardly direction so that the edge of the bag 43 coincides or registers substantially with the initially folded edge 44. All

ments 39 and 41 in addition to the main com-.

partment 31. It is obvious, of course, that the reverted portion of compartment 41 may extend over to produce a seam similar to that shown in Fig. 4, instead of under, as shown in Fig. 6, but it is manifest that the method chosen 6 provides a better seal.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 7, the bag material cut away to form the aperture 25 is not completely severed from the main portion of the bag, but is preserved as a flap 45 integral with the bagfwhich flap is folded over or around the multi-ply edge 46 and is included in the stitching or sewing which seals the bag. This flap 45 so fashioned thus serves to reinforce the edge 46 of the bag. If desired the excess portion of the flap 46 maybe utilized as a tag on which may be conveniently inscribed any impromptu data or information, as the current price, which from the nature of the goods might fluctuate.

Special adaptations of the present invention are shown in Figs. 8 and 9, whereby the foldings of the bag are so conformed as to produce a rigidly reinforced edge 47 and 48 respectively. In the present discussion of Fig. 8, the dotted lined portion should be ignored since it does not form a part of the reinforced edge 47. The purpose of showing the dotted lines 55 will appear presently in the discussionbf Fig. 9. In Fig. 8, the initially bent or foldededge 40 analogous to edge 51 of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 is so related with respect to edge 49 as to permit its being extended around and folded over the edge 49 such that when the row of stitches 52 is sewed through the plurality of plies of bag ma-.

- terial a very stifi or rigid edge 47 is produced.

In other words, after the flattened upper portion of the bag has been initially bent forwardly (as viewed with respect to Fig. 8) and then the reverse bend made to form the inchoate com-- partment 54, the edge 49 is not made to register exactly with bend 40, as in the case shown in Fig. 4, but instead is merely made to approach the initial bend 49 at a distance or amount sufficient to permit edge 40.to be bent upward and folded over in the manner, substantially as shown in Fig. 8, so that the stitching shown in solid lines (orother fastening means) is made to embrace the thus' reinforced edge 47 to consummate not only the formation of the compartment 54, but also simultaneously therewith compartment 53. The package portion of the bag 53 is shown in Fig. 8 as substantially flat and in' such form the bag may conveniently be utilized to convey samples of goods, in a form suitable for mailing or like distribution, the explanatory or descripe tive matter being contained in the auxiliary compartment 54 as hereinbefore explained.

In Fig. 9 is. shown a'special form of the invention whereby the reinforced edge 48 is enhanced in strength and rigidity, over the"analogous edge 47 in Fig. 8, by providing theadditional bends or folds 55 to edge 4'! as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8, thus producing a multiply edge 48 (Fig. 9) comprising (independently of the plaited folds 28 and 29, Fig. 2) fourteen layers or plies of bag material, which when fastened together with a row of stitches or other, fastening means, results in an exceedingly inflexible edging.

It often becomes necessary in the case of large bags for packing orcar'rying heavy and/or bulky material to protect such bags from breakingor tearing due to the load carried thereby by encasing the bag in a burlap or other meshed covering. The'present invention is readily adaptable tothis sort of packing as shown in Fig.10,

wherein the main or package portion 56 of the bag is encased or enclosed in the meshed covering 57. Now, one of the features of this invention is to so include the meshed portion or 00v ering 56 in the multi-ply edge 58 as to transfer the load thereof to the edge 58, which may be of any of the conformations previously described. In the specific embodiment shown in Fig. 10, the meshed covering 57 is incorporated in the multiply edge 58 of a construction similar to that indicated in Fig. 4. It is evident that when the meshed covering 57 is embodied in a multi-ply edge of the form shown in Figs. 8 or 9', a very substantial package results.

Referring to the form of the invention illustrated by Figs. 11 and 12, it is noted that it is similar to the form shown in Fig. '7. In this particular embodiment, namely, that disclosed in Figs. 11 and 12, the bag material cut away to form-the aperture 25 is, like Fig. "I, not completely severed from the main portion of the bag, but is preserved as a flap 59 (Fig. 11) integral with the bag. This flap 59 is not utilized entirely like flap 45 in Fig. 7 to reinforce the edge of the bag, but is especially adapted to overlie the package portion 31 of the bag 20 and thus provides a convenient and useful means of carrying extemporaneous data or information, as current prices or the like.

The invention herein disclosed may be embodied 11o in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to'be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention .11 2 indicated by the appended claims rather thae by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is: l v

1. In combination, a container having an oriflce, said container adjacent said orifice and above the contents portion thereof being conformed into a single fan fold, and fastening means effective to secure the adjacent marginal edges of said fan fold to consummate the formation of dual compartments in said container.

2. In combination, a container-having an oriflce, said container adjacent said orifice and above the contents portion thereof being conformed into a single fan fold, and means effective to secure the adjacent marginal edges of said fan fold to consummate the formation of a plurality of compartments in said container.

3. In combination, a container having an criflee, the opposed walls of said container adjacent saidoriflce and above the contents portion thereof being conformed into a single fan fold, and means comprising a row of stitches effective to secure the adjacent marginal edges of said fan fold to consummate the formation of a plurality of compartments in said container.

4. In combination, a container, said container being folded into inchoate compartments, and fastening means adapted to embrace adjacent marginal edges thereof to consummate the .formation of a plurality of compartments in said container. I

5. In combination,'a container having an orifice, one of the opposed walls of said container provided with a plurality of windows, said container adjacent said orifice and above the contents portion of said container being folded into inchoate windowed compartments, and fastening means adapted to embrace adjacent marginal edges of the folded portion to consummate the formation of a plurality of compartments in said container.

6. In combination, a container provided with pre-folded or plaited sides adapted when collapsed to form a receptacle for receiving substantially fiat matter, said receptacle being conformed into a series of folds, and fastening means adapted to embrace adjacent marginal edges of said folds to consummate the formation of plural compartments in said container.

'7. In combination, a container, said container having a predetermined upper portion thereof conformed into a series of folds, and fastening means to secure the adjacent marginal edges of the folded portion to consummate the formation of a plurality of compartments in said container.

8. In combination, a container having an orifice, a predetermined portion thereof adjacent said orifice being conformed into a series of folds, and fastening means to secure the adjacent marginal edges of the folded portion to consummate the formation of a plurality of compartments in said container.

9. In combination, a first container, a second container, said first container adapted to be inserted into and partly enveloped by said second container, said first container being also conformed at its unenveloped upper portion with a single fan fold, and fastening means effective to embrace adjacent marginal edges of said fan fold and said second container to consummate simul taneously the formation of a duality of compartments in said first container-and to close about one of said duality of compartments the opposed walls of said second container.

10. A bag, the opposed walls of said bag being folded together into inchoate compartments, and fastening means adapted to embrace marginal edges of the folded portions to effect the consummation of the folded portions into a plural compartment bag.

EMIL A. PRUCHA. 

